Texas-TCU Thanksgiving date finally official

AUSTIN — At last, Texas and TCU got the RSVP they needed for their Thanksgiving dinner plans.

The Big 12 on Friday announced the completion of its long-anticipated 13-year, $2.6-billion TV contract with ABC/ESPN and FOX, one that will pay each school $20 million annually over the life of the deal.

The formal announcement of the contract meant the conference could finally make official the move of the UT-TCU football game in Austin from Nov. 24 to Nov. 22, Thanksgiving night. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.

Officials from both schools had said for months they expected to play the game on Thanksgiving, but the Big 12 needed approval from its TV partners before finalizing the move. The Longhorns-Horned Frogs matchup will fill the spot formerly occupied by the UT-Texas A&M rivalry game.

UT athletic director DeLoss Dodds said last week he expects the Longhorns to play on Thanksgiving in Austin every year during the new TV contract. That would mean finding another opponent for odd-numbered years, when TCU doesn’t visit UT. Texas Tech is one possibility.